How do I get my HAFA approval letter at B of A?

For over a month now, we have been told our HAFA Short Sale at B of A has been approved - but the approval letter has yet to come. Equator even shows the file in closing status and we recently got our "is the closing on schedule" task.

Our BofA closer said we have to get the letter from our UTLS Negotiator (B of A outsources it's HAFA short sale approvals).

BofA Customer Service says they can do nothing.

Our Negotiator at UTLS won't return calls or emails.

Her Team Lead keeps saying we need to give her 72-96 business hours from each escalation request (this Team Lead is the 4th person we have appealed to and the first to actually respond) which seems silly, since after 72-96 business hours, we are told to wait another 72-96 hours.

Anyways, does anyone have tips or a contact number of someone at either UTLS or BofA that can move this along? We have been told time and time again that we just need to wait. It has been over a month now.

Help!

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Permalink Reply by Harry Clay on November 29, 2011 at 5:30pm

Try looking in the Equator library under Offers.

I have had a number of approvals where they "forget" to notify me of the good news, & I belatedly find the approval pdf hidden in that little corner of Equator.

I never would have known to look there, other than I got the same message "Is the closing on schedule"?

What closing?? LOL

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Permalink Reply by David Tang on November 29, 2011 at 5:43pm

Thanks for the tip - unfortunately it is not there either. Anyone else have a tip or number I can call to move this along?

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Permalink Reply by Thom Colby 888-391-5245 CA Brkr on December 2, 2011 at 8:09pm

I heard BofA is no longer outsourcing short sales to LRC or UTLS and they are doing them in house again. Maybe yours got "lost in the shuffle" and that may be why you're not getting return calls.

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Permalink Reply by Nathan Miller on December 4, 2011 at 10:08am

You'll have a quicker turn around to close out the HAFA short sale and start from scratch as traditional not using any of BAC's outsourcers.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin - Greenville, SC on December 4, 2011 at 11:42am

Possibly true, but you client will lose out on the possible $3,000 and the assurance of the deficiency waiver HAFA brings.

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Permalink Reply by Terri White on December 4, 2011 at 11:31am

I had the same situation with B of A, using AMS as their HAFA outsourcer. Sorry to report that, after waiting more than 30 days for the letter, B of A CANCELLED the short sale due to the fact that my listing agreement had expired 2 days earlier. My listing agmt had not actually expired - it was the date B of A set which allowed 120 days to complete the short sale; we were at 122 days, 2 days more than their 120 days, due to them not providing an approval letter

The buyer had been ready to close for 30 days, with additional EMD in escrow, etc. My feeling was that they found a viable excuse for denying the short sale, even though they told me that it was HAFA approved. The same situation - AMS refused to return calls or emails. I did not anticipate them using listing agreement expiration date as a reason for denial. .

Hope you have better luck than I did!

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Permalink Reply by Kevin - Greenville, SC on December 4, 2011 at 11:45am

I've had several HAFA SS denied for one reason or another initially. After some heated escalation pointing out the facts of the situation to them I was successfully able to get everyone of them back into the HAFA program. Bottom Line - Keep fighting!

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Permalink Reply by tonda hoagland on December 4, 2011 at 8:10pm

Have you tried escalating through BofA's twitter help? I just got a HAFA closed and they were much more helpful than customer service. @BofA_help Just keep escalating and stay on the phone once you get someone. Continue to ask for managers and say you'll hold. I've found if you wait for them to call you back it wastes too much time. Good Luck!

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Permalink Reply by Dale Bradbury on December 4, 2011 at 8:11pm

David, I had the same thing happen--to me but DO THIS! Go back and open the email you first received advising you of the approval. Look at bottom of the email, your approval letter and final worksheet are attached!!! It won't be in the library or anywhere else.

Also, your "final closing task" will ask for an addendum to be uploaded in additiion to the final HUD after it closes. It doesn't say so but they are looking for the affidavit and agent certification you should have received earlier on. Let us know!

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Permalink Reply by Mike Rizzo on December 4, 2011 at 8:33pm

I recently had a similar situation and escalated the file. Both files were pulled from LRC and B of A is working both files. They pulled them two weeks ago and I'm expecting the approval letters tomorrow. You might want to email Barbara.J.Desoer@bankofamerica.com. You will get a call with 24-48 hours. Explain you situation in the email and then to the caller. Tell them that you'd like to have the files pulled from the 3rd party vendor. You all owe me one for the name. Send me a nice Xmas present.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Antonelli on December 5, 2011 at 8:58am

Check your HAFA paperwork that the seller signed. If it was signed by the VP, that's all you will get besides the approval letter. The approval letter does not state HAFA anymore. Now it's all in the HAFA paperwork that you put in first and signed by your seller. Once signed by the bank VP, it's approved for HAFA.